Truckers, distributors leery of NAFTA transportation deal

Very simple. This Bush administration is beholding to the big money contributors in finance and business. This includes the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Trucking Association among others. The ONLY thing these groups have as a goal is to make more money for their members.

There are those who chase every conceivable dollar, peso, euro, and other currencies, in a quest to amass ever more wealth. Most do not give a whip stitch about the livelihoods of the people and families who are affected by their decisions. They are money making machines, period. There is no room in their equations for a, ''people factor,'' or, ''voluntary,'' safety compliance.

Just as they have been successful in relocating production facilities to locations with cheap labor, non-existent or rarely enforced environmental and worker safety laws, they want to continually expand their tightening grasp around the throats of the populace.

People and businesses on both sides of the border earn decent livings, and contrary to what the spin doctors say, there will be no major benefit to American consumers by permitting Mexican domiciled trucks run throughout the U.S.A.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation in its published Fact Sheet (dot.gov/affairs/cbtsip/factsheet.htm) at, ''Good for Consumers,'' the DOT estimates that the current system of transferring products from the truck of one country to that of the other costs consumers $400 million a year.

How much does a cost savings of $400 million a year in a nation with a population in excess of 300 million people equate to per capita? ... A whopping $1.33 per person; 11 cents per month!

I, for one, will gladly keep paying 11 cents per month to keep Mexican trucks off our roadways and to keep U.S. truck drivers and distribution centers functioning and providing jobs!

The big-money people and their bought-and-paid-for politicians can wonder off to some luxurious resort and count their money, but please do not open the border!

I am a firm believer in the old adage, ''If it ain't broke; Don't fix it!''